at
| WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 |
| SENATE TO ACT QUICKLY ON JUDGES Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, promised that the Senate would move quickly on President Trump’s judicial nominees after the Nov. 6 midterm election. “We’re going to clear the calendar of judges.” READ |
| DEMOCRAT APOLOGIZES FOR AD Several women are criticizing Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-ND, for listing their names without permission in a campaign ad that listed victims of sexual abuse. Lexi Zhorela said: “I have only shared my story with a couple of people in confidence. I didn’t want it blasted for the world to see.” Zhorela said she had intended to vote for Heitkamp in November, but told the AP that she will “definitely not now.” READ |
| ATLANTA PAYS CHRISTIAN $1.2 MILLION The City of Atlanta agreed to pay Kelvin Cochran $1.2 million after a federal court ruled the city had violated his rights. Cochran wrote a book for men in 2013 that discussed marriage and homosexuality from a Biblical perspective. “No one should have to choose between keeping his job and speaking about his faith on his own time, but that’s the situation I faced as fire chief of the City of Atlanta,” said Cochran. READ |
| CYCLIST CRIES FOUL The woman who finished third place in a world-championship cycling race said it was “definitely NOT fair” that she was forced to compete against Rachel McKinnon, who is biologically male but ‘identifies’ as a woman. READ |
| RESCUING A BLUE-STATE DEMOCRAT Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is spending $3 million to bail out the scandal-plagued Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ. Democrats are concerned about spending money in a state Hillary Clinton won by 14 points. Menendez’ challenger, Bob Hugin and his allies, have outspent supporters of Menendez by a 7-to-1 margin. Political reporter Kevin Robillard notes the Democrats face an uphill battle to retake the Senate and that “money spent in New Jersey can’t be used to help candidates fighting for their political lives” in states like Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota. READ |
| ENTITLEMENTS AND THE DEFICIT Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the growing deficit is due to “bipartisan reluctance” to reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. “Hopefully at some point here, we’ll get serious about this. We haven’t been yet,” said McConnell. READ |
| PACKING THE COURT Liberal law professors Mark Tushnet and Laurence Tribe are organizing a “1.20.21” project. The number refers to the date they hope a new Democratic president is inaugurated who will pledge to pack the Supreme Court with several new justices above the current limit of nine. READ |
| JOB OPENINGS HIT ALL-TIME HIGH The number of job openings hit 7.14 million in August, besting a record set in December 2000. The total number of hires also reached a record of 5.78 million. “The fact that record numbers of workers are voluntarily quitting their jobs suggests that they are finding substantially better opportunities elsewhere in the economy,” said Julia Pollak, labor economist at online employment marketplace ZipRecruiter. READ |
| TITHING GOES DIGITAL American churches are starting to adapt to Europe’s reality, where parishioners carry cards or their mobile phones but not cash. Even people in their 40s and 50s, Generation X, rarely use checks. READ |
| +SARAH: YOUTH DON’T WANT “WATERING DOWN” Young people are idealistic and want clarity, said Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. “Jesus did not lower the requirements of his call” and neither should the Church, the cardinal said. READ |
| SAINT OF THE DAY On his journey to Rome to face his death in the Circus Maximus, Saint Ignatius of Antioch visited and wrote to many of the churches along the way. These letters have become a valuable source of instruction as well as a source of information about the early days of the Church. READ |
| DAILY READINGS “Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:2) READ |
| CARTOON |